Revan's Beginning
by Camirho
Summary: M!Revan. F!Exile.  Who is Revan?  What made him into the man he will become?  From a prodigy, to the Dark Lord, and then to a fate unknown, with his friends by his side...  Romance later on  probably .  Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Two young boys carefully crept around the corner, casting wary looks up and down the two narrow metal corridors. The lights flickered, the hum of electricity sporadically buzzing and sputtering. The horrid smell of the sewers reached the children's nostrils, but was never noticed as they had lived with it for their whole lives. The filthy chipped and cracked windows granted them a view of run-down speeders zooming past, going about whatever business needed doing, whether honest or illegal. Some were the former, most were the latter.

The two human boys finished their search and nodded to each other. Neither had seen anything out of place. Not a soul was in sight, and apart from the ambient noise, there was neither any sound.

But things on Deralia were never easy. They might sometimes be simple, but never easy. The corridor might have seemed empty, but the next moment it might be filled with the sounds of deactivating stealth-units and a dozen thugs bent on killing them, or stealing everything they owned, which was as good as. But that only happened if you were at the wrong place at the wrong time, and extremely careless. If you were a species other than human, anyway. If you were human, you stayed locked up in whatever walled place you lived in, only coming out when absolutely necessary. Because the criminals were seeking you out, going out of their way to find you, to give you a good beating if they were low-lives, or to capture and enslave you if they had 'connections'. And then, one of the crime lords would steal you - you weren't worth any credits – and hate you, and use you and starve you, and hurt you. You would be lower than a slave, lower than the shit they walked on.

Those were the reasons the boys were so careful. Even in their short seven years, they had learned facts of life that a full-grown alderaanian man could only begin to grasp. They had seen friends and family dragged away, had mourned their loss, and had learned from it.

The two kids quietly and swiftly ran down the left corridor, going around the refuse piles that were too tall to jump over. It was not uncommon for them to come across recently deceased bodies, the result of a gang fight, or a poor man's negligence. The boys gave no mind to them. For one they had seen it too many times to care for every one of them, and two, they didn't have the time. They needed to lose the gang.

The boy running in the lead had a determined expression on his face. His short black hair ruffled slightly at the speed he traveled and his eyes looked fiercely ahead at an unseen goal. The second had shoulder length reddish-blond hair, and was blindly following his friend.

The first boy stumbled to a halt so suddenly that the second crashed into him, sending them to the floor with a small yelp.

"Get off, Dace." The black-haired boy grumbled.

Dace sprang up and off of the boy, hurriedly checking around to see if the noise of their fall had attracted the attention of someone nearby. Seeing no one, he glanced at his friend and helped him to his feet.

"Why d'you crash into me anyway?" the boy demanded.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault. You're the one who just stopped in the middle of the street."

The boy glared at Dace, "You should look where you're going!" he replied heatedly.

As Dace prepared to reply, his eyes caught a flicker of movement at the end of the corridor they had come from. His eyes widened and the other boy whirled around to see what had freaked his friend out.

A couple Twi'leks, a few Aqualish, another two Rodians and a single Nikto were jogging down the street, searching every nook and cranny, but moving quickly nonetheless. They were the gang pursuing them.

"Revan..." Dace said worriedly to the black-haired boy.

The Twi'lek saw them first. His eyes lit up at the sight of the two puny humans they had been chasing. They needed credits, and the two would be worth a fair price in the right circles.

Revan grabbed Dace's ragged and dirty sleeve, twisted him around and pushed him forward. They needed to escape. Now.

Jedi Knight Kreia stared intently at the view screen. What captivated her was the planet-wide cityscape below. There was a surprising number of ships entering and leaving the atmosphere, especially for a planet out of Republic jurisdiction. In her mind, she checked off the facts she knew of this world.

Deralia was much like the Outer-Rim world of Taris, to which it was often compared, though it was so much more out of control. Where Taris had a semblance of peace and prosperity on the surface, and only as people went down did they realize the brutal and cruel way of life of its citizens, Deralia did not even pretend to attempt to hide its anarchy. The almost non-existent and corrupt government taxed its few lawful citizens into depressive poverty, who were constantly more than harassed by the real authority: the crime lords. This planet was a slummy hub for thugs without money, criminals on-the-run, opportunistic scoundrels, the Exchange, and of course, the trapped victims that could no longer escape the rampant nihilism.

One of the major differences between Taris and Deralia was the composition of the populace. Unlike Taris, which was dominated by xenophobic humans who oppressed the poor, Deralia was dominated by aliens. The Exchange was run by hateful lords that believed all humans were responsible for every injustice, every act of discrimination committed against their respective races everywhere in the galaxy. And, so believing, abused the humans residents of Deralia. Most non-humans didn't think that way, but no one would stop the cycle of violence, because if they ever tried, the crime-lords would crush them without a second thought. It was easier - not to mention safer - to follow the masses, and keep quiet.

And now Kreia, fully aware that she would likely be recognized and singled out as a human, was willing to brave the trials of this world because of some flicker in the Force. As she sat observing the planet, Kreia wondered briefly what exactly she was hoping to find. It had been no more than a flicker! Ordinarily, she would have considered the disturbance momentarily, decided it would not be worth a visit to a veritable hive of illegal activities to find its source, and would have moved on with her current mission. But her Force intuition was telling her to search for it. It was telling her this small disturbance was important to the larger scheme of things, and she knew she couldn't resist the will of the Force. She just hoped it was worth it. She was after all risking her master-hood trial mission to-.

A mechanised voice snapped her back to reality.

"Freighter _Emerald Honour_, you are clear to land. Proceed to docking bay R-56."

Revan scowled as they stopped running. He hated running away. He didn't like feeling scared. He despised it in fact. He wanted to be brave. He wanted to be able to stand up to them. To everyone that hurt him. But he couldn't. He was helpless, just like he was at home.

"You think we lost them?"

"I don't know, but I think _we're_ lost"

Revan was panting when he answered. Both had run for ages before the sounds of the gang's running footsteps had faded behind them. They had stopped at the entrance of a type of public square. People with shifty eyes were milling about and around stalls, mostly not seeing or ignoring the two boys.

"We need to get back Revan. If anyone actually looks at us... We'll be in trouble. They'll hurt us. I don't want to be hurt. Not again. Please, we should go back."

Revan knew most aliens in this sector were the rough sort, the ones that would hurt you and take everything that was on you, but would generally leave you there. And Revan knew that it did hurt.

Dace continued.

"My parents will be mad if I don't get home before the power runs out, and your ones... Well..."

"I know." He didn't want Dace to talk about that. His mum wasn't in shape to say anything. And his father probably wouldn't notice Revan not being at their run-down apartment. If he did... Revan didn't want to think about that. It scared him, terrified him even, though he would scarcely admit to himself. It was just better if his father didn't notice.

They had to get back, and the only way they knew was the way they had come. But they couldn't go that way, since the gang was probably still there looking for them. They rarely gave up. They were like hunters.

"Maybe we could back and circle them." Revan offered, "You know, make a loop around them. That way we won't see them one bit."

"Uh... I... don't know."

"Well it's better than standing here doing nothing but waiting for them to catch up to us!"

"Revan..." Dace was terrified, but he wouldn't admit it. He wanted to be like the people in the few old holo-vids his family owned. He wanted to be like the Jedi, brave and strong.

Revan turned to his friend.

"How about we go over there?" He pointed to door where many people were exiting and entering. "Maybe we can hide there for a long time, then go back home. The gang won't be there if we stay long enough."

Dace looked at the door for a moment. Then,

"They won't let us in, Rev. Only grown-ups go in there. I think it's a... cantina, or something. Let's find something else."

"We need to go _somewhere_!"

In a last ditch attempt to make Revan find something else, he whispered

"Your father said you weren't allowed in there."

"I don't want to think about my father!" Revan shot back vehemently, feeling an angry pulse surge through him. "He doesn't care about mum. He just let her get sick, and he gets mad, and, and... He's mean! He hurts her! Don't talk about him!"

Dace cringed, but Revan was too mad to care. He just stood stock-still and waited to calm down. After a moment Dace opened his mouth and said

"Alright, Revan, we'll do it your wa-" he cut off abruptly as two big arms seized him from behind, pulling him off the ground.

Revan had a split-second to register what had happened before another ruffian grabbed him and covered his mouth with a smelly gauntleted hand.

_No!_ he tried to twist out of the grip, but it was too strong. He only slipped marginally toward the ground. Now he could barely touch the floor and felt himself being dragged a small distance. He tried to scratch and claw his way out from the thug, but in vain.

He heard someone speaking in twi'leki, saying to 'take hold of the scrapper before we're forced to hurt him'. Before more hands could touch him, he bent his head and took the biggest and hardest bite he could out of the thug's arm holding him. He felt the grasp loosening and he kicked backward, right between its legs. He pushed as hard as he could and felt himself get free of the arms. He took a few steps forward blindly before he crashed into a wall of flesh. More thugs.

He fell back toward the fallen one and went to its belt. He frantically felt for something, anything to help. His hands curled around a thin object, and as the rest of the gang jumped on him he pulled it out, swinging it madly across one's chest. Blood spattered across his face as the knife cut through the thin material of the Rodian's shirt and deep into the skin. It fell to the ground yelling.

Revan had no time to realise what he had done. He looked up from the body just as the Nikto hit him full in the face, sending him tumbling backward. The thug who he had kicked earlier was now recovered and caught him.

As much as he twisted and turned, bit and hit, he couldn't get free as they dragged him and Dace off deeper in darkened alley. They had him.

Kreia pulled her hood lower over her eyes. Her face was lost in shadows. No one could recognise her species this way. She strode swiftly, guided by the Force. The feeling was growing frantic, and she knew she had to find the origin of it before time ran out. Something was happening, and Kreia didn't know what! It irritated her to no end, but she kept her shadowed face expressionless.

The twists and turns constantly led her astray, as when she tried to travel directly toward the source, she kept hitting dead ends, and was forced to backtrack and find round-about ways. As each second slipped by, Kreia could feel her patience giving way to anxiety.

She emerged in a common area, a market, filled with tables and stalls displaying numerous inventories. Her eyes passed over several illegal rifle and pistol models, but she didn't bother noticing them. A cantina was visible. She paused a single moment to feel where the source of the disturbance was coming from. Her eyes settled on a dark opening in the wall across the vast expanse. It was there, in the alleyway.

Revan was abruptly thrown to the grown. He looked up to see a wall of flesh baring his way to freedom. There were more than there had been. He glanced at Dace who had also been violently chucked beside him. Dace looked up at the thugs with fearful eyes, but Revan could also see him examining them, trying to find a way to escape.

A Twi'lek and a Rodian approached Revan and Dace, tying their hands and feet so the couldn't try anything.

One of the aliens started talking in his native language to the rest of the group, but Revan barely had a mind to listen.

"[We got them, but one gave us a run for our money.]" His voice hardened as he continued and he glared at Revan. "[The little son of a bitch sliced Tahkol good. Bled out before we could get this bastard under control.]"

One Nikto, the leader it seemed, looked down at Revan, that back to the other.

"[And Tahkol?]"

"[Dead, boss.]"

The Nikto's eyes darkened and he stared furiously at the little kid who seemed to think he could get away with killing one of his best men, his friend even.

"[Take the smaller one away for Fornax. I'll deal with the other.]"

Both kids shifted backward until they were pressed against the wall. Three aliens were slowly advancing toward them, and both boys knew that it was to take one of them away.

"They're coming," Dace whispered, "Stop!" He screamed at them, but they paid him no heed. He looked sideways at Revan. His friend that was like his brother, that always had a way out. But Revan just looked at him, than back at the group. He didn't have any ideas.

The Twi'lek took hold of Dace and hauled him off his feet.

"Leave him alone!" shouted Revan, "Don't touch him! Stop it!"

But they just took Dace away, screaming, before someone covered his mouth. Revan tried to stand up, but he was just shoved down with a kick. He scowled at them, even though he was almost crying.

"[Give him back.]" he snarled.

"[He can speak Ryl. He might be worth the trouble after all.]

"[He killed Tahkol!]" growled the leader as he stared murderously at Revan. "[He is not worth _anything_, after that.]"

Revan could feel they wanted to harm him, and he tried again to squirm out of his bonds. It only hurt though. He kicked out with both legs, and hit one in the shin. He received a whack to the head, knocking him on his side.

He couldn't defend himself as blows rained down on him from every direction. He curled up, drawing his knees to his head. He felt so helpless. Revan felt something build up inside his head. He couldn't do anything as they hurt him again and again. He cried out as he was kicked and punched and hit. The pressure in his head spread to his whole body. In his mind, Revan saw his father's drunken eyes as he did the same to him. The beating went on. He wanted it to stop. He just wanted it all to stop. He watched through his mind's eyes as his mother lay on the bed, bruised and sick. He felt anger at his father and at the world for doing this to her. The rage was white hot. The pressure was unbearable. He couldn't keep it in. It needed to get out.

Revan yelled as he pushed the pressure out. Just let everything out. His pain, his grief, his hate, and his rage. All of it. An uncontrolled shock-wave crashed outward, invisible to any non Force-sensitive, but was felt none the less by every creature for miles, one way or another.

Revan stayed curled up even after everything was silent. It hurt too much to move. He was drained and scared and beaten, and he just wanted to stay there until everything would go away.

Kreia had just penetrated the dark side street when the Force overcame her. She staggered to one knee when the power she had felt build up was brutally unleashed. The moment it had manifested, the Force had seemed to overwhelm her entire being, deafening, blinding and numbing her all at once. At that moment, she felt fear. What manner of creature could possess such power, untamed as it was?

She recovered from the surge slowly, then stood up. Looking around, she saw the utter chaos the market was in, debris everywhere, unhinged by the awesome pulse. She didn't study the scene long, though. She quickly ran further in the alley, uncertain if she wanted to find the being responsible.

She fell upon a pitiful scene.

Curled up in a foetal position was a small thing, a child. It was shaking uncontrollably, and around it was strewn the corpses of half a dozen non-humans. She approached it carefully, reluctant to surprise it.

_Who is this boy?_ Kreia wondered. She used the Force to get a bearing of his state. He was obviously traumatised. The Force only knew what had happened before the blast.

Before long, the boy stopped trembling. He took deep breaths and gradually got to his knees. He looked up, and Kreia could see the bruised and cuts that covered his face, blood trickling down several places. When he saw her, he flew to his feet and took a wary step backward, seeming ready to bolt. When she made no move to come near him, however, he held still.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

Kreia crouched so she would be at his eye level.

"I am called Kreia." She paused then, and considered how to continue. She pulled her hood back to let him get a look at her face "Who are you?"

The boy studied her for a few moments before answering.

"My name is Revan."

AN: alright, then. hope you enjoy the chapter... i'm pretty sure i'll continue this story, maybe even up to the mandolorian wars. Review please! This is my first fanfiction, so be nice [sad puppy dog eyes]. Merry Christmas everybody :) !


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Okay, I just wanted to let you few and very dear readers know that I've **REPLACED CHAP.2 **with this one here. The more I read the old one, the more unsatisfied I was with it, and the less motivated I was to continue on. I mean, really, I _hated_ it.

You will recognise some scenes from the original one, and if you haven't read the original one, well all the better!

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Kreia stared at the little boy a while longer.

"What do you want?" Revan asked.

"I was wondering what happened here," she replied truthfully.

The boy backed away, his eyes widening as he looked around at the carnage he had wrought. "I- It's not me," he denied, faltering ever so slightly.

Kreia sighed. The fact he recognised death so easily was a depressing reality, one that the Jedi, the Senators and the Republic ignored all too readily. She felt a spark of anger. This boy was stripped of any childlike innocence he should have possessed, all because of the inaction of an ignorant government. Kreia quickly smothered the igniting anger. She would remain collected.

"You can tell me what occured," she said gently, trying to coarse him out of his wariness, if only a little.

"No." Revan finally stated resolutely. "I..." he trailed off, as if he suddenly realised something. He turned his head and looked hatefully into the darkened alley, and his aura was completely stable, no tremor visible. He seemed in complete control of his fear, if there even was any.

Revan looked back at her, and in his eyes she could see the churning emotions, but also a settling coldness. She refused to aknowledge the shiver that went down her spine when she met that gaze, one that should not belong to a child.

"You should go back. You are not welcome here," he warned. And with that, he dashed off, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Kreia turned back to the depths of the alleyway. She sensed their presence before they came within earshot. A trio of individuals were making their way here, and they were clueless to what had occured here.

"[Hey boss, we delivered the little human to Fornax!]" One said in Ryl.

"[He fight as much as other scrapper. Almost lose him when big... something came... Me think it was earthquake,]" another said in Rodese.

"[You done with the rascal, boss? We should-]" The third stopped abruptly, his eyes threatening to fall out of his skull as they widened drastically, shocked by the carnage before him. He looked to the single cloaked figure, with a decidedly human face standing amid the bodies. He seemed to finally find his voice "[What the Hells!]" He roared.

Kreia considered her situation calmly, contemplating the possible solutions rapidly. She could not afford to draw undo attention to herself, and if she allowed a fight to transpire, that would be exactly what would happen.

Wielding the Force, she waved her hand slightly in the trio's direction. She manipulated their will, compelling them to think what she said, forcing their minds to forget the truth and accept the lies.

"Forget you ever saw me. Forget about the 'rascal'. He never existed. You came here and witnessed your gang killing each other: the result of infighting."

Pulling her hood up, she backed away as they repeated her words. She blended into the crowd and left the alley behind.

Where should she go now?

She wouldn't persue Revan. He was like a wounded animal that needed time to recuperate. It would be foolish and rash to corner him now. She needed a course of actions.

She needed information, and she knew the perfect place to acquire that which she sought. Her gaze drifted across the market, and she felt satisfaction as the flashing signs of the cantina dominated her sight.

She walked through the still chaotic market, up to the illuminated doors.

The Dek' Yraht was a special cantina, and it was only natural that several of its sort were situated on Deralia. Inside, the establishment was divided in a few sections, each circulating differring gasses, depending on the preferences of the residing aliens of that section. And those gasses were lethel to humans. It was the perfect place to conceal her identity and collect information without scrutiny. After all, who would suspect a human of being somewhere humans were known to inevitably die?

A few steps away from the cantina, Kreia delved in the force, and stilled her breathing. She had mastered the art of willing the Force to sustain oneself. It was one of many she had studied within the Archives.

The thick air was tinted red, and numerous people were scattered across the room. The Dek' Yraht hadn't caught the brunt of Revan's Force repulse, it seemed.

She spotted a table with a lone Devaronian and sat down across from him.

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Revan trotted off quickly and silently. The woman... She had been different. Not like the typical humans here. She wasn't stooped or cowering or dirty. If he could think more about it, he would likely reason out why, but as it was, he just needed to keep moving.

He didn't know where he was going. He didn't much care at the moment. He was tired. _So_ tired. He just wanted to lay down and sleep.

But he was also angry. Infuriated. Dace was gone. He was _gone._ Just like that. Just like Matt. It wasn't fair. And he knew that only his rage was preventing him from dropping to the floor and giving up. He wouldn't let it go, even as his vision blurred. He ignored the unshed tears, dismissed them, willed them out of existence.

And it worked. Even when the image of the corpses loomed before his eyes, the image of that which he was to blame, he realised that that wouldn't stop him. He found himself wishing he could have done what he had sooner. He could have saved Dace if he had. Maybe he could have saved Matt... Matt, who seemed invincible. Matt, who had looked invulnerable. But that was it. Matt had only _looked_ strong. In some way, Matt had been able to fool everybody into thinking he could never be caught. And he had succeeded. Right until the point where he _had_ been caught.

But Revan didn't dwell on his brother for long. He always became angry when he thought of him. And sad. But that was all over. He knew he could never bring him back. He had realised that a long time ago.

But he could do something about Dace. He would find him, it wasn't too late.

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"[Why would you want to know something like that?]"

The Devaronian's head was tilted sideways in honest confusion.

"I am new to this planet and it is always wise to learn all you can of a new playing-field, wouldn't you say?" All true. She spoke in Galactic Basic, which wasn't conspicuous in itslef since many non-humans communicated so.

The male nodded, and leaned back in his chair nonchalantly, though Kreia noticed his index nervously tapping his thumb. "[Well, information is wealth, as the saying goes. Plus it is dangerous to speak of such things. I will need to be... compensated.]"

Kreia almost sighed at the blunt statement. She had no credits to speak of, only what was necessary to nourish herself.

There was another way, of course. The Force was a powerful ally, and there were many ways to acquire what she desired. She contemplated using one in particular. The technique was an old one, frowned upon by the Jedi Council and Kreia had only used it twice before. It had always proved useful, and she wondered why the Jedi would deny themselves such a tool when it could easily tip the balance in the time-old struggle against corruption and injustice. Winning that battle would be worth any minimal loss of morality caused by invading anothers mind.

_They are fools_, she thought. She shouldn't have, but in the guarded confines of her mind, it was safe. At least here, in this part of the galaxy, where few Jedi treaded.

She let the Force fill her, concentrating its power. Through it, she saw the Devaronian, his life-energy glowing brightly. She focused on his mind, the brightest spot, unguarded and vulnerable to her prodding.

Though she had often seen it, she was still astonished at the lack of awareness his mind displayed. It was completely oblivious to what occured inside its recesses, reacting in no visible way. _How little people know of the great powers of the universe._ Few understood and appreciated what a trained mind could accomplish, and how little they were protected against any being wielding the Force. She could feel a derisive sneer pulling at her lips.

She sifted through his memory, probing his mind for information she doubted the male knew he possessed. Memories long forgotten, tales he had been told in his youth. Knowledge that only his subconcious had pieced together was laid out before her, in her easy reach.

She leaned back when she had finished, somewhat exhausted from the effort of utilizing the unmastered technique.

The Devaronian was eyeing her with a curious expression, starting to get impatient with her silence. She realised that what had seemed hours to her was in reality only a few moments. Moments during which she must have semed strangely inactive. Recovering, she shook her head, letting him know she refused his offer.

Kreia leaned back in her chair once the Devaronian left, considering what she had learned. She filled in the rare gaps of the knowledge with what she herself knew. She was surprised by Deralia's history and how the Republic had had no knowledge of its events while they were taking place. It seemed to have shaped this part of the galaxy so drastically that she felt as though the Republic should have known of this systems existance. At least now they knew of it. They had even made a shaky alliance with its governments in the last year.

Centuries ago, Deralia had been the seat of power to a small but dominating realm. It had emerged thousands of years ago, when a force of humans had invaded several nearby systems that were the homes of many non-human species. The anti-alien humans had overpowered a couple other systems and with the appropriation of Deralia, their conquest was accomplished. Under the new government, the non-humans were enslaved and beat into submission. They were seen as no more than vermin.

At the apex of their small empire, there had been rebellion. Revolts were staged at every planet in their domain, and violent uprisings had taken place. The humans were overwhelmed and the slaves became the masters. There had been different motivations for the revolution. Many of the leaders had wanted the insurrection for the good of all, with the objective of creating a government structure that made all - including humans - equal. However the rest had done it to get revenge on their oppressors. So while the former attempted to establish an official governement, the latter - who were by far more numerous - broke off their ties to them and created their own system ruled by self-proclaimed 'True Leaders'.

A couple centuries had passed since the insurgency when a well known group from Republic space had discovered Deralia and its surrounding systems. The Exchange had offered an mutually beneficial union, and the Criminal Syndicate of Deralia had accepted.

Kreia had always appreciated the value of history as it never failed to help her understand the current situations. _The past is the reason for the present._

She stood and left the cantina. She had had enough of the place.

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Revan crawled to a stop. It had been hours since he stopped the last time. He needed to stop and breathe. He drew in a ragged breath and expelled it loudly. He didn't even try to be quiet. His wild heartbeat alone would have revealed him to anyone who was listening hard enough. He gulped some more air in.

He had tried to cover as much ground as he could in his search for Dace. North and South, East and West, up and down. He had even gone through Exchange territory: unknown and deadly. Needless to say, he had gone everywhere.

_Except_ where Dace was! He was _nowhere_! _How can they hide him so fast?_ They had barely gone for ten minutes before he had run off. The first thing he had done whe he left the woman behind was circle through surrounding alleys to go to the likeliest area where they might have taken Dace. But there wasn't anything to find. Dace had just _disapeared_.

Revan leaned against the wall. He couldn't keep fooling himself. He wouldn't save or find anybody by running around the sector. Dace had most likely been moved by speeder, and Revan had just been unwilling to admit it. He was probably halfway across the planet by now, out of reach.

_Might as well admit it._ Revan kicked the wall in frustration, bitting back a groan when his foot started throbbing. He did not need this. He pushed himself off the wall and started his treck south, to the home he knew.

After sneaking through numerous streets, all the while fighting off his exhaustion and ignoring the pain as much as he could, Revan finally found his way back. He reached the door and slowly opened it partway as furtively as possible. If _he_ was in there, Revan didn't want to be noticed. After Matt had been taken, he had turned his ire on Revan, and Revan knew now he needed to remain unseen. Hearing nothing on the other side, Revan slipped through the little gap.

Inside the two-room apartment, in addition to a bathroom, the walls were cracked, there were no windows, and the lights were cold and weak. Despite the relative order in which his mum usually kept the place, there was always a thickness of grime that couldn't seem to be wiped away. Revan often wondered why she bothered.

He could hear racking coughs from the other room, where lumpy matresses were placed. His feet dragged as he approached the doorway and peered through. His mother lay on one of the matresses, exactly like when he had left. She had gotten sick recently, and Revan had needed to do something. But there weren't many doctors here.

He didn't go into the room. He hated seeing his mother like this, bruised and hurt and sick. He should've been able to help her, to protect her... But he never could, from anything or anybody. He winced just thinking about it, before he set his face in a blank expression.

She seemed to think it was _him _who needed saving. When his father went mad, she tried to stop him. _Stupid_. She _couldn't_ stop him, and he would just turn on her, and Revan just wasn't strong enough to...

Shaking his head to clear it, he went to the kitchen to grab a clean cup. Just as he was filling it with the almost clean water, the front door opened.

Revan stilled when he saw his father striding erratically across the room, intent on reaching the food container. His mum's persistent coughing carried to the room they were in, and his father's eye twitched as his hands fumbled through the sparse food.

He was a big man, and none of it was fat, considering the lack of nutrition. He wore grubby clothes in extreme need of washing, though Revan didn't recognise that. His face was unshaven and splatters of blood were present here and there. He was one of the few humans who had obtained a job roughing up others. He seemed proud to have been able to get that far.

"Wha' the fuck is tha' noise?" he slurred as he slammed the container shut and tilted precariously backward because of the force of the impact. He looked around the decaying apartment and his eyes settled unsteadily on Revan. "You boy, what d'you think you're doin', just standin' there. Get to shu'in it up!"

Normally, Revan was afraid of his father. He was always stronger, and Revan could never fight back. But now... now he was furious. After everything that had happened, he couldn't take it anymore. He had been hounded and chased, kicked and beaten. Matt was gone, Dace was gone, his mother was sick, and he himself had _killed_ living beings. And now, his father - this person Revan hated - came in and drunkenly ordered him to shut his _mother_ up? His mother, who was now the only person he cared about that he still had?

Revan glared at the man with pure hatred. His fury was palpable. Every fiber of his being wanted to hurt him. His father - no - _Jarek_ trailed off with his mouth open, his eyes widening at what he saw in Revan. He needed to force himself not to shudder. He knew then and there, this boy was dangerous, and had changed since he had last seen him.

Revan's whole body shook. He couldn't see it, but a faint glow could be seen surrounding him. "Stop-. You-! She-." he growled out half-formed words. emotions whirled inside of him, and he couldn't form coherent sentences. "NO!".

Disregarding his aching body, Revan threw the water-filled cup at Jarek. He was just so angry! Jarek's face slackened in pure astonishement, still seeming put-off by and nervous of Revan's enmity. But quickly the shock gave way to anger. With a growl, he jumped forward, intent on throttling his son.

**00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00**

Kreia sensed Revan's presence through the Force. His mind shone brightly in this cesspit, and it was easy to locate him. It had been several hours since their encounter in the alley, and his aura was calmer than it had been.

Keeping her hood securely lowered, her mind wandered to the other Jedi, the Masters, the Knights and the Padawans

There were a number of competent and gifted Jedi in the Order, she could not deny this. The veterans from the Great Sith War were exactly that: veterans. They wouldn't have survived the war if they weren't disciplined and skilled.

She turned her thoughts to the youngsters, the initiates and the Padawans. She had observed a few promising ones. Her first choice had been a girl, no more than eight, maybe even seven, who was named Anaia. Smart girl. Very talented. But Kavar had already unofficially chosen to be her Master. Kreia had decided to leave that be, even though she had dearly wanted the situation to be reversed.

But now, there was Revan. She could be the one to commence training him. She was still shocked by the sheer power he had exuded. For a child so small and inexperienced to possess such strength... And mature beyond his years. He would make a formidable Jedi indeed. One of the best. If she managed to persuade him to join the Order.

Revan's aura became tense. She stopped her train of thought and looked around. The corridor was coldly and inadequately lit, and many small manual doors cramped the wall. It was a resendential area... A poor and dirty one. She located the door she needed.

The tension of Revan's aura suddenly snapped. _Why aren't I present when these events happen?_ she thought with exasperation and a small amout of worry. At least she was but a few metres away from the disturbance this time.

Half-running the remaining distance, she grasped the primitive door-handle and pulled it open.

**00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00|00**

Revan had evaded his father's first lunge, slipping underneath the outstretched arms and to the right.

Then he heard something he wasn't expecting. An opening door. Both individuals whirled around to stare at the interruption. A woman with her hood up -_the_ woman! - stood in the doorway, scrutinizing them.

Jarek straightened from his semi-crouched position, glaring at her. He seemed less sluggish, more alert, as he stepped forward menacingly. Revan slowly backed out of the way, attempting to blend into the shadows.

"Who are you and what the fuck are you doing here?" Jarek demanded, yelling.

The woman - Kreia, Revan reminded himself - still stood silently, studying Jarek. Her eyes seemed to bore into him, seeing everything he had to hide. Her gaze flicked to Revan before she took a step into the room calmly.

"I am Kreia of the Jedi Order, Jarek Qyral. "

"Jedi? How do you- GET OUT!" He screamed. Revan looked at the woman strangely. Jedi? Dace would have liked to meet her, then. He had loved Jedi, even though Revan wasn't very fond of them. _No, I can still find him. Just not today. I'll fix it. I'll fix everything._ When Kreia didn't move, Jarek screamed at her again. It was obvious he was close to panic. Revan grasped that Jarek felt threatened. He felt like he was losing control and Revan saw that he was about to forget all logic and lash out.

"I will stay," Kreia cut in. Her voice was not loud, but it held an energy that Revan could _feel_. Maybe, if he looked hard enough he could see it. "You shall not bother anyone further. I am free to do as I please." The words were accompanied by a subtle hand movement.

Revan waited for his father's surely violent reaction.

"You will stay. I shall not bother anyone further," he repeated in a cold monotone. Revan gaped, his eyes widening noticeably. How was that possible? "You are free to do as you please." Jarek finished, staring at the Jedi for a moment longer before turning around and walking toward the stool by the counter.

Revan watched him with wide eyes for a while, not able to believe what had happened. He had just... walked away. How could that be? He turned his head toward the woman. She was looking right back at him. Revan masked his stunned expression when he realised this. She was responsible for what had happened. How had she done that? The power she had used... was this what Jedi did? Fix what was wrong? But she had only used words!

He set his feet when Kreia took a step toward him.

"I am not here to harm you, Revan," she informed him.

"Maybe." Even as he said it, he knew she would not hurt him. He could tell by just concentrating on her.

"Simply look, and I believe you will know I speak the truth. You have the ability to see." The fact that she knew of his... ability, as she put it, made him wary. He had always known when other people lied. He had thought other people had been able to know as well, but he had discovered it was not so at some point.

"I do... see."

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"I do... see." He didn't ask the obvious question of how she knew about him.

She smiled, her still grey eyes conveying as much reassurance they could muster. She needed Revan to trust her if he was ever going to agree to her offer.

With a controlled glance at the abusive father, she knelt down, still a few feet away from him. She still wasn't sure how to approach him - he was so unpredictable - so she would be as blunt as the situation permitted. Of course, she had difficulty being so.

"I have a simple question to ask you. Answer me truthfully, please, and tell me what you truly want." She waited for him to nod slowly before continuing clearly, "Revan, would you leave this planet behind?"

His face was blank as he processed her question. "_Leave?_ I..." Kreia knew he understood the question, but he couldn't seem to grasp the implications behind it. He had never known another life, and leaving _everything_ was an impossibility he had _never_ considered. He was silent for a few minutes. What he was thinking was unknown to Kreia. She was incapable of penetrating his natural mental barriers, much to her dismay and awe. Finally he continued, "I can't."

"What if you could?"

He looked at her askance, as if wondering what she wanted and not willing to give it.

"I don't care, I can't. We can't. No matter what my mum wants me to believe, we can't leave here. How...? There's nowhere out there..."

"There is. The whole galaxy is out there. There is a place for everyone. I believe yours is somewhere other than this world." She needed to persuade him, and from what she saw in Jarek's mind, he was responsive to one particualar thing. "Perhaps... your mother's place is, too."

At the mention of his mother, Revan's head - which started to bend down in thought - snapped back up. "Out? Of here? She always wanted to get out. She's always telling me..."

"Wouldn't you give her that chance?" Revan seemed angry that Kreia would doubt him, but he replied with a quiet 'yes' anyway.

"I'm offering you and your mother a chance to escape this life."

"Why would you do that?" Kreia knew he was trying to discover an ulterior motive to her offer. There was one, but it wasn't nearly as nefarious as he suspected. It would benefit the whole galaxy if this boy became a Jedi.

"Because I believe you are more than what surrounds you," she replied honestly, if not completely.

She glanced at Jarek again, still seeing what she had witnessed while delving in his mind. She had to fight down her anger and hatred. The things she had seen... it made her want to kill him then and there. But she wouldn't. Death would be too good for this scum. He deserved the misery this life brought him. And even as she knew she should rebel against such feelings of vindinctiveness, she could not suppress them.

"So I ask again: will you leave this life behind?"

Still he hesitated. Kreia could understand that. He was forsaking all that he knew for the complete unknown. Revan looked at the grimy walls, the flickering lights, then Jarek. The boy stared at him the longest.

"Will it be different?" he murmured.

She knew to what he was refering to.

"Everything will be different," she promised.

He turned his head to face her, obviously not trusting completely, obviously set on remaining on his guard. But the shadow of a smile touched his face, and Kreia knew he was feeling something he had not felt in a long time. Maybe something he had never felt.

"Alright." And though she could only hear the barest amount of hope in his voice, she smiled in turn.

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**A/N**: I'm actually so much happier with this version! And so much more satisfied. Already its easier for me to redo chapter 3. Whew! I'm soo relieved to have gotten this chap. over with! I am moving on! YAY!

**P.S.: **I'm sorry it took a month to post this, and its just a replacement too, but my laptop broke down, i lost all the work i had done on this story (and i had done quite abit) so it was hard to write it all _again_. Third chap is almost finished, so hopefully it will be up soon :).


	3. Chapter 3

The medical bay on the ship was a small room, barely fitting a single thin bed. It seemed more comfortable than anything Revan had ever seen, but at the moment his mum was set atop it.

She hadn't regained conciousness when Revan had tried to wake her in their apartment. She had been dreadful to look at, her breathing shallow and wet.

He was worried about what that implied. Kreia said they would take her to a doctor somewhere off-world. He didn't know where they were going. Kreia had mentioned something called 'republic'. He shrugged. To have his mum get better, he would go anywhere.

Revan walked out of the med-bay, feeling the ship powering up beneath his feet. He couldn't resist the temptation, and he ran toward the cockpit just as the _Emerald Honour_ lifted off the landing pad.

Kreia was at the controls, steering the ship ever upward and tilting it slightly. From the vantage point he was provided, Revan could see miles of the dull grey and brown landscape. And even though for anyone else the view was less then appealing, for Revan it was amazing. He never thought he would see this, his world, the way he was now. He had never seen such a thing.

The ship zoomed forward and up suddenly, heading out of orbit. That was when the realisation truly hit.

He was leaving. He felt like laughing because he realised that maybe, just maybe, it would be different. He would never see his father again. He was gone for good. _Please, let it be real._

But he wanted to go back. He felt stupid thinking that. It didn't make any sense. Leaving was a good thing... wasn't it? But everything he knew was down there. Whether or not it was a happy place wasn't the point, it was his _home_. And leaving it felt like leaving a part - a big part - of himself behind.

Revan shook his head to clear his thoughts. Turning away from the window, he searched for a means to distract himself from... everything. The beeping digits and flashing lights intrigued him. Settling down on the co-pilot seat, he stared at the controls, trying to understand their use.

Without touching them, Revan examined all the switches and buttons, trying to guess what each did. He glanced at Kreia, who was manoeuvring the ship, then back at the controls. No, he could figure this out on his own.

After a full ten minutes, Revan looked up to the view-screen. His jaw dropped at the sight.

When they had been near Deralia, the lights from the planet coupled with that of the small star had made space seem a dull black. It had seemed like a painted canvas with no colours, no depth. And as strange as it had looked, it hadn't been impressive. That was not the case here.

Thousands upon thousands of stars filled his vision. The myriad of colours was breathtaking, and something Revan could not believe existed. It was beautiful, but even that word was not enough. The only thing that interrupted the colourful pattern was the darkest of blacks. As he stared at it, he felt as though it would swallow him whole. Nothing, that was what it was. But at the same time, he felt like that infinite nothingness contained _so_ much. Things he couldn't imagine.

He forced his head to look away, and at Kreia, who was observing him calmly while guiding the ship.

"Where are we going?"

She flipped some switches before answering.

"We are entering Hyperspace," she looked at him expectingly.

"Hyperspace?"

"It permits us to travel at faster-than-light speed," she explained

_That's... fast,_ he thought, trying to imagine the speed of light. He nodded and Kreia pushed the thrusters steadily forward.

Outside, the stars elongated and Revan's stomach lurched. The tension rose until suddenly everything seemed to rush forward in a snap.

Kreia smiled slightly when she noticed Revan's gaping expression as he observed space. It was the first time she had seen that much emotion openly displayed on his face.

After she answered his couple of questions, she activated the hyper-drive.

Revan recovered from his first Hyperspace jump remarkably quickly, watching the swirling blue tunnel for a moment before sliding off his seat to leave the cockpit. His body was still battered, since she hadn't had the time to properly heal it yet. She was amazed that he was still standing and not lying on the floor unconscious after the mental and physical abuse he had endured today.

"Revan," she called, and he turned around, a questioning look on his face. "I would like to heal you, if you permit it." She still needed to be careful with him. Just because he was on her ship and willing to follow her did not make him any less dangerous, or predictable. "With the Force," she elaborated when he didn't respond, "the source of my powers."

He nodded his assent after a moment, and Kreia focused on him with the Force and started healing his wounds. She had never particularly studied Healing, but her skill would do an adequate job here, even if he would be drained from the experience.

His small shoulders sagged after she was done. He touched his face everywhere there had been a cut or bruise, then his ribs and back. His eyebrows raised slightly when he found nothing.

"Some of them I didn't realise were there until they weren't anymore..." he said, referring to the wounds. "Thank you." He bit his lips, seemingly trying to stop a flood of questions, before he turned and darted away.

Kreia expected him to rest somewhere on the ship; he was almost dead on his feet. But he refused to sleep. Instead, he explored every room of the ship, examining every nook and cranny. When she asked why he was doing so, he showed some trust in her by explaining that he was searching for the best means to hide or escape or even fight if things went awry in whatever way. She didn't know if it was the Force that was sustaining him or an incredible willpower. Perhaps both.

They left Revan's mother in a public hospital on Ukio, a planet just barely inside Republic space. She didn't have time to travel to a more ideal location. She had a mission to complete.

Kreia had decided to take Revan with her. She knew she had to sever any attachments he possessed as soon as possible, and that included the ties to his mother. Perhaps distance would suffice, but she doubted it. In any case, Revan was now sleeping on one of the ship's bunks, the Force around him pulsing calmly as he rested. As long as he was nearby, she could still have a measure of control over the situation.

The ship hummed as it travelled through Hyperspace. She didn't like being on a spaceship, preferring much more to stay in the secluded Jedi Academies or Enclaves. But she did see the value of learning knowledge first hand, as she was intending.

The planet they were heading to wasn't well known. Home to creatures called Filar-Nitzan, it had yet to adopt a name other than its numerical designation: DNX-N1. Only the Jedi and a few other knowledgeable scientists knew of its species existence, most others believing the polymorphic gaseous beings to be legend.

It had come to the attention of the Council that Dark Side energy was steadily emanating from the planet, corrupting life around it. Though small, the disturbance was powerful and had reached the High Council settled on Coruscant. It was evident it needed to be investigated.

Kreia checked the estimated time remaining before they arrived. In approximately fourteen hours, they would set down on the planet.

They landed in a wood, a wide clearing on the slopes of the mountains providing an excellent landing site on the habitable planet, close to their intended destination.

It was still and silent, the cold sun illuminating a landscape coloured in shades of grey and faded browns. The wind whistled down from the peaks of the mountains, making the leaves rustle as the two figures descended the loading ramp.

But Kreia wasn't watching the terrain, instead focusing on the Force, like she often did. The Dark Side was rolling off the mountains in waves, every throb painfully and tantalisingly powerful. She felt it smothering her, drowning her, but she could still breath. And she remembered that as long as she knew herself and remained steadfast and calm, she would not fall.

Revan's small body shivered beside her as she marched westward toward the tree-line. He was probably feeling the Dark Side as she did, if not as intensely. No matter, if anything happened he was strong-willed enough to resist. She doubted he would need to resist anything though, since she believed he was not sufficiently in tune with the Force for it's darker aspect to coax him.

She tracked the origin of the Force energy, so much like how she had done on Deralia to find Revan. As expected, her senses led her somewhat further up the mountain. There was an entrance into it... but when she tried to push her senses through, they bounced off. She sighed. A protective ward? Some Force resistant barrier? It seemed they would be walking into the unknown.

They tread up a steep and winding mountain path just as the sun descended slowly in the sky. Hours slipped by, when finally, they were but a mile from the entrance.

Behind her, Revan's breaths came in gulps, but he showed no sign of slowing. And though she was unused to long demanding walks, spending most of her time in the archives, she had let the Force sustain her and was not even breathing heavily.

"We are close," she informed Revan, who seemed to perk up slightly at this, setting off at a short trot for the last mile.

The entrance loomed before them. The greyish-brown rock-face was sculpted and carved into an impressive entrance. Though less grand than structures Kreia had once seen on Korriban, it exuded the same amount of dark power. It was a Sith tomb, without a doubt. But every Sith Lord's resting place was accounted for... except this one it seemed.

_How many Sith have we never heard of? How ignorant are we?_ Kreia asked herself as she walked toward the entrance, her fingers brushing against the door's intricate surface. So many mysteries...

She activated the mechanism, similar to the ones on Korriban, and the stone door ground open. Cold blackness greet them.

"How will we see?" Revan asked, squinting into the tunnel. Kreia responded by activating her lightsabre, providing suitable light source. Revan's eyes widened when he saw the legendary weapon.

"We should move quickly. This place is dangerous," Kreia said, an edge to her voice.

Revan looked back once before the entrance was out of sight, engulfed by the darkness. He shivered again. He didn't like being here. It was cold, he couldn't see... but he could feel. The shadows concealed _something_... Or was it many things? He couldn't tell, but they -or it - were always there, always watching.

The air was hard to breathe, and it tasted bad. It grew colder and colder the deeper they went into the tomb. His fingers, his toes, even his nose was numb. He _really_ didn't like this place.

They walked a long time, through confusing corridors and crumbling rooms, the green glow of the lightsabre leading the way. Kreia, sounding disturbed, whispered something about a lack of tests. She never hesitated when they was a split in the path though.

They emerged into a vast cavern, illuminated by glaring red crystals. But the light, instead of giving them a sense of security, bred uncertainty and fear. The floor ended abruptly a few feet away, and when Revan came forward, he couldn't see the bottom. He stepped back hurriedly. There was a thin bridge connecting their area to a wide solitary pillar. Remembering the crumbling tunnels they had travelled through, Revan didn't trust the stability of either one.

Kreia completely disregarded that however, striding purposefully onto it while flicking off her lightsabre. Revan hesitated a moment before following. He wouldn't run from some lousy bridge.

They could both stand on the pillar with room to spare, though the tomb, worn and plain, took the majority of the space available. Energy pulsed out of it, stronger than ever.

Kreia simply brushed the covering slab of rock and it slid downward, disappearing into the ground and revealing a golden sarcophagus. It was intact, its fancy and ornate designs gleaming. Revan frowned at it. There was a corpse in _that?_ Why did a dead man need so much? He couldn't use it as far as Revan knew. It had no purpose, other than being a box.

The Jedi opened the box, and the putrid smell of decay assaulted Revan's nose and he almost gagged. In just the short few days he had gone without it, he had forgotten the horrible smell. Not that he _wanted_ to remember after he had breathed the relatively fresh air of the starship.

Unperturbed by the rot, Kreia searched the mummified body, finally grasping a small object. Suddenly she was still, her gaze fixed on it. Her eyes were wide and unblinking and her breath caught. Revan frowned. There was something wrong. The air around her was twisting, changing. Kreia's hand shook as she brought the item closer to her face. He couldn't read the expression on her face. Nothing that caused such a drastic change in her could be good.

He darted forward, his hands pulling the artefact away from her grasp. She was so surprised she couldn't resist. She seemed to have forgotten he was there.

Snapping out of her trance-like state, Kreia looked at him without the passive mask for the first time. There was something akin to fear in her eyes as they darted from the object to his face, whispering two words.

"...thank you."

A hiss sounded from the shadows. It crawled across Revan's skin, and he was unable to stop himself from shivering. He slowly turned his head to where he _thought_ the sound came from. Creatures, many creatures, stood on the other side of the chasm. Lizards... giant lizards. Monsters.

"Hssiss." Kreia stated before slowly standing in between Revan and the monsters.

Taller than Revan, taller than even Kreia, the creatures were scaly and dark green. Some looked black, with baleful red eyes glaring at them.

"Do not join me until I tell you, and do not leave the artefact unguarded," Kreia instructed. "I will kill these ones, but more will come. We must escape." She drew her lightsabre and a sheathed blade, barely more than two feet long. She handed the latter to him. "Just in case," she breathed.

And with the snap-hiss of an activating lightsabre, she advanced toward the creatures.

A/N: Okay, I thought this chapter would include Revan's instatement in the Order, but I guess that's just gonna be next chapter! I just tried out openoffice, cause I was still using wordpad. SO much easier to use (for me anyhow)!

Remember, I like getting reviews, even if its just 2 words long (though I prefer the long ones ;P). Don't be shy!


	4. Chapter 4

Kreia sat in the cockpit of the _Emerald Honour_ brushing the area where there had been a angry gash. The previously empty tomb had been _filled_ with Hssiss. How had she not noticed them sooner?

And why hadn't they attacked sooner? Only when _she_ had attacked had they fought back. It felt as though they just wanted to block their escape, not kill them. Keep them in. Why?

Her mind wandered to the moments before the creatures' appearance and she suppressed a shudder. She could not deny the sinking dread she felt thinking of the artefact. It was an unfamiliar feeling.

The object had taken a hold of her. She hadn't been able to look away; letting go of it had seemed an impossibility. It had been everything, to the exclusion of all else. It had been _power_. If Revan hadn't taken it from her... This time she couldn't stop the shiver. What would have happened? Would she have fallen? Just like that? So _easily_? She frowned. It was best not to report this to the council, not in all its detail.

She checked the ship's course. They were a couple of hours from DNX-N1 and on their way back to Ukio. To Revan's mother. Another problem. How could she convince him to leave her behind? She should never had brought her with them. But then Revan would not have followed. It galled Kreia to fumble around like this. She was used to control, and at the moment she barely possessed any. She leaned back in the chair, searching for the best solution.

This would not be easy.

8*8*8*8*8*8*8

A hospital was something Revan had never seen before they had arrived on Ukio with his mother in tow. He had seen a clinic twice on Deralia, and it had never contained so many humans. It was strange, seeing them walking openly on the streets, conversing amiably with their non-human counterpart. It was definitely unsettling.

He glanced at Kreia, walking a few paces in front of him. He hadn't talked to her much since whatever had happened in the cave. No matter how much she tried to hide it, he could see she was nervous. It had something to do with the item he had wrested away from her before the Hssiss had ambushed them.

He didn't like thinking of them. He remembered the confusing events after the battle had started. It had been a mess of slashing claws and snapping teeth a hairsbreadth away from him. But never actually _touching_ him. The growls and snarls had been drowned out by his pounding heart, and at the end, when they had made it out, he had felt like he hadn't breathed in ages even as he was gulping down air.

But it was over now. The monsters were on another _planet_, and he was at an information desk of a hospital, behind which was a man in white rifling through patient files.

"Master Jedi, you're back! Were you successful?" the man greeted. He was the same doctor that had been there when they had stopped here a few days before.

Before Kreia could open her mouth, Revan jumped in.

"We're here to see my mum."

The man looked down at him in surprise. For a moment his face was blank before he looked back up to Kreia.

"The, uh, comatose woman who was placed here before you left?" When Kreia nodded he continued hesitantly, glancing down at Revan before continuing, "It's... not good."

"What do you mean?" Kreia asked sharply.

The doctor shifted uncomfortably. "Scans revealed serious internal bleeding, which blocked her airways. She sustained a severe concussion that may have caused memory loss, though we cannot confirm that since she had fallen in a coma. Her brain activity is lowering each hour... If those were the only problems, we could probably save her... but the scans revealed, well..."

"Yes?" Kreia prompted when he trailed off.

"We found traces of the Carius disease in her blood stream. It's rare in Republic space, more often seen near Gamorr and nearby sectors... Master Jedi, where did you find this woman?"

"Deralia," Kreia replied distractedly.

Revan just stared at the man. What was he saying?

"Ah," the doctor said shortly. "That would explain it. The fumes of the planet react badly with humans and near-humans. Completely incompatible. Fatal, when a big enough quantity has been absorbed." He paused, looking down at Revan pityingly before continuing slowly. "There is no cure, as of yet."

Revan kept staring at him blankly. Coma? Disease? Cure? He hated the look the man was giving him. He looked at Kreia, hoping she could clarify things that he just couldn't grasp.

She looked grim. When she turned her face to Revan, she could see he didn't understand. Or couldn't. Or wouldn't.

The doctor could see this too. He crouched down to eye level, his eyes full of sympathy. Revan didn't want to see that look directed at him.

"What's your name?" Revan stared steadily at him before answering. "Well, Revan, your mother... She's not well. She is very sick, and she can't get better. She's sleeping. And she's been sleeping for a long time because we can't wake her up. She's too tired to wake up because she's fighting the sickness."

"Are you saying she's never going to wake up? That she's..." He didn't like the doctor talking like this. Revan couldn't understand what he was trying to say with all this beating-around-the-bush.

The doctor blinked at the incomplete but blunt question coming from a young child.

"I... I'm saying she won't recover."

Revan looked away. What did that mean? She was going to die? She wasn't supposed to die. No. She _couldn't_ die.

"She will die?" It was Kreia who asked the question that Revan was unable to force past his throat.

He glanced back long enough to see the doctor nod, before Revan looked away again, squeezing his eyes shut.

This couldn't be. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

But he knew it was. He knew what death was, all too well. And his mum was dying.

"How- How long before...? His voice hitched before he could stop it. Keeping his eyes shut he glared at the wall he couldn't see. He would _not_ cry.

He felt a hand pat his head and he stepped back immediately from the hated and unfamiliar gesture. His eyes snapped open to glare at the blurred figure of the doctor. The man stood to give his answer to Kreia.

"Not passed a week."

Revan felt himself shaking before he stilled. He wouldn't show _anything. _He was in unknown territory, far from home, travelling with a Jedi he didn't know, and the person for whom he had initially done it was dead in a week. Gone, and he was powerless to stop it. He would have given anything... but he couldn't. He had tried with Matt... a small bit with Dace.

The doctor and Kreia conversed, making arrangements for something he didn't care about.

"Revan." He concentrated on the person who was talking. Kreia. "We can stay for a week, but-"

"No," Revan cut in. If he stayed , he wouldn't be able to stay calm, to stand the situation. "No." He just wanted to leave. He didn't want to think about anything. He didn't know if Kreia understood, but she didn't say anything else, just nodded. "Can we leave? Now?" She nodded again.

_Good_.

8*8*8*8*8*8*8

Kreia watched Revan walk away once they were on the ship, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy, of pity. Ripped from the only life he's known, stripped of everything that mattered to him, and that made him who he was. It wasn't right for a child so young to have to go through that. It wasn't right for _anyone_ to go through that.

But she pushed the feeling aside. He wouldn't accept it – would probably resent the emotion anyway. And more importantly, those events were a necessity, an inevitable solution to her dilemma, though she never could have executed it on her own without compromising her morality.

_It is the will of the Force._

If it wasn't, then it wouldn't be worth it.

She went to the cockpit, sitting down gratefully. She was returning to the Academy, finally, and hopefully having been deemed worthy of the title of Master. Should she tell them of her near-fall? Perhaps she should given the dangers, but there were many matters to consider.

The trip back was thankfully uneventful. After a few shifts in the hyperspace route over the course of a week, they finally arrived in the Core. Another day, and they were in orbit over Coruscant.

After communicating with an Academy operator, Kreia guided the vessel to its docking-bay. Revan hadn't eaten much during their trip. Losing his mother had to affect him in some way, even if he seemed to be burying it as deeply as he could.

They moved through the wide halls of the Jedi Temple , with Revan behind her, expressionless. Many Jedi walked the corridors, some greeting her, others staring at Revan questioningly. A young boy was not a rare sight in the Temple, but Revan drew curious stares nonetheless. A change had happened in him recently. Ever since Ukio, he had drawn back into himself, more so than on Deralia. He had unknowingly cloaked his Force aura. Through the Force, he seemed to be nothing more than a droid. Now only the most powerful Jedi could sense his true potential, as did Kreia. So, understandably, the Jedi wandering the Academy would wonder why he lacked an aura that _all_ living beings were supposed to possess.

They came upon a set of wide doors, giving to a lift. It would take them to the Council Chambers, where she had been informed to report at once.

8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8

They stood in the antechamber, waiting to be called in by the Jedi. It was odd, thinking of the Jedi as real. Unlike Dace, Revan hadn't admired Jedi. He had doubted of their existence, though Dace had insisted they were real.

Back then, Revan had been sceptical. Champions of Justice? Fighters defending good from evil? What about the 'evil' on Deralia? Could the Jedi just not have been bothered? Or were the Deralians not worth it? It had hurt, thinking that they weren't worth it. It had been easier to believe that Jedi didn't exist. If they didn't exist, then their lives made just a bit more sense, because _no one_ had the power to change it.

But now, Revan knew that someone _had_ had the power, and he couldn't stop a feeling of resentment welling up inside him.

A woman walked out from the chambers, pulling Revan from his inner-musings.

"The Council is ready for you, Jedi Kreia," the stranger stated.

Kreia disappeared through the double doors, leaving Revan with the unknown Jedi and his nerves. He was going to meet the _Jedi Council_, after all.

Some of his nervousness must have shown on his face, because the Jedi smiled kindly at him. "This must be your first time at the Temple, right?"

Revan gave a quick nod in answer, trying to calm his stomach.

"You don't need to worry," she said with a laugh, "They might seem big and scary, but they're just like all the rest of us mortals. Except so very slow to take decisions. It can be annoying sometimes. By the way, my name is Vima."

Revan stared at her for a moment. Neither she nor Kreia fit the image he had formed of Jedi, and they were nothing alike.

"Mine is Revan." He introduced himself.

After close to half an hour, Vima told him the Council 'finally' wanted to see him.

Entering the room, Revan could see twelve chairs all set around the perimeter. Not all were occupied, maybe seven or so. Revan could identify almost every species present: Human, Selkath, Togruto, Twi'lek, Duros... Only one eluded him. It was a green person, around Revan's height with big pointed ears. It stared at him intently with large calm eyes.

When Revan reached the middle of the room, a human woman cleared her throat. She was sitting at the chair directly across from the door.

"Revan. I am Nomi Sunrider, Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. With me now are Master Vandar Tokare, Master Sasem Narek, Master Tut'ni Filopre, Master Jisho Deth, Master Anala Hiuzae and Master Kuen Lir," she introduced formally each seated individual with a slight nod in their direction. Suddenly she smiled, her impassive expression melting away in the blink of an eye. "I believe you met my daughter, Vima?"

She was trying to put him at ease. Her smile was really warm though. She seemed so much nicer when she did that. He answered her assumption with a wordless nod.

"[We should not dawdle.]" the Selkath was frowning. "[Jedi Kreia, I do not sense in him this 'incredible potential' you stated. Not even a glimmer of Force-sensitivity.]"

"[Nor do I.]" the Duros added. [We are wasting our time with this waif. Send him to a shelter or send him back to his home, we have more impor–]"

"I'm not going back."

Many heads turned to the boy at the centre of the room in surprise.

"I'm not! You can't make me. I came here, I chose to be here, and you don't have the right to just send me back!"

Didn't they understand? No matter how he felt about leaving Deralia, he still _left_. He had chosen that and he would stand by his decision. It wouldn't all be for nothing.

The green being spoke for the first time since Revan had come in.

"You do not need to worry. Master Narek spoke hastily. I do not believe we will send you back." He glanced at Nomi. "You sense it as well, yes?"

She nodded slightly. "I do, Master Vandar"

The other Masters were looking at each other with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, Narek with a tinge frustration. None of them could sense a thing in Revan. What was the Grandmaster and Vandar hinting at?

"I am surprised the rest of you cannot feel it," she uttered after a moment. She tilted her head, still staring at Revan. "Simply concentrate. It is there. Unbelievable! It is muted, muffled... masked. But still... Incredible."

"_What_ is incredible, Grandmaster?" the female human was switching her gaze from Revan to Nomi, unable to see.

The rest had turned back to Revan, focusing like they had been counselled. The boy didn't appear to have any significant power, but they two of their peers had sensed something...

Revan stiffened under the scrutiny. It was not a thing he was used to. He felt something on his shoulder. There was a hand there. His eyes followed up the arm to Kreia's face, who had eyes only for the Jedi Masters. He felt himself relax little by little. She could take care of herself. She wasn't weak. He could trust her. At least he thought so, and his instincts told him so.

The moment Revan relaxed completely, the Masters' eyes widened and a couple of gasps were heard.

Revan didn't know what that meant. Would they accept him or not? As they slowly deliberated, he wondered. He wasn't sure if he _wanted _to be a part of the Order. For his whole life he had the impression Jedi were dress-wearing preachers, useless in things other than spouting 'words of wisdom' and 'seeking a non-violent course of actions'. But... Kreia wasn't like that. She had proven that in the tomb, and with how she handled Jarek. His assumption had been proven wrong.

And he had gone this far for a reason, right? Hadn't he told them that they couldn't send him away? He had accepted Kreia's offer for his mother, but when she... when she _left_... there was no reason he had to go to Coruscant. He could have gone his own way. He could have made a life out there, in the Galaxy. But he didn't know about it._ I don't have credits, or a ship..._ Well, as much as he _fancied_ the idea of setting out on his own, he _wanted_ something else.

He brought his attention back to the Jedi when he heard one of them say his name. Had they reached a decision?

"There is a question we have failed to ask Revan," Master Vandar – _I think that's his name_ – spoke. His gaze settled on Revan, who waited. "A vital piece of information yet unknown. Are you willing to become a Jedi, to sacrifice any normal life you could possess, for this Order? For this Republic? Do you want this, hmmm?"

Revan didn't know what the Republic was. He didn't know much about the Jedi actually. But he had sorted out what he wanted, aside from the impossible. _That_, he could never get, no matter what path he chose.

"If I didn't want to train as a Jedi," he replied slowly and clearly, "I wouldn't be here."

Seeming satisfied with his answer, Vandar grunted thoughtfully.

Nomi straightened in her seat, her eyes meeting the councillors'. Each expressed their consent with a slight nod of the head or a wave of the hand. She then turned back to Kreia, a small smile on her lips.

"Well, then. It appears we have a new Youngling to train. And a new Master to welcome."

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

A/N: I am posting chapter FOUR! Yay! Oh, and if anyone forgot, or didn't read the last author's note, I like reviews ;P! I think most people like reviews. And I say this again: I like them long! Um :s, yer... that's what she said XD.

Okay moving on from my immatureness... wait no, immaturity... (I think its my friends' faults 8|), this update was quicker than the last one (yay!), which is good! Hopefully the next one will be quicker too!


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